Enfield Rifle 7.62x51mm

Conversion to 7.62x51mm NATO

During the 1960s, the British Government and the Ministry of Defence converted a number of Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to 7.62x51mm NATO as part of a program to retain the Lee-Enfield as a rear-echelon weapon and as an emergency issue rifle for British military and civil defence forces if the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact invaded Western Europe and the British military were short of L1A1 SLRs to arm its troops at home and abroad.

The Lee-Enfield No. 4 series rifles that were converted to 7.62 mm NATO were re-designated as the L8 series rifles with the rifles being refitted with 7.62 mm NATO barrels, new bolt faces and extractor claws, new rear sights and new 10-round 7.62 mm NATO magazines that were produced by RSAF Enfield and Sterling Armaments to replace the old 10-round .303 British magazines.

The outward appearance of the L8 series rifles were no different to the original No. 4 rifles, except for the new barrel and magazine.

The results of the trials that were conducted on the L8 series rifles were mixed, and the British Government and the Ministry of Defence decided not to convert their existing stocks of Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to 7.62 mm NATO. Despite this, the British learned from the results of the L8 test program and used them in successfully converting their stocks of No. 4 (T) sniper rifles to 7.62 mm NATO and hence the creation of the L42A1 series sniper rifles.

L8A1, L8A2, L8A3, L8A4, L8A5, from No4 Mk1/2, Mk1/3, Mk2, MkI, and MkI* respectively, done in the UK. These are converted No4 rifles, the No4 action is considerably stronger than the No1 action.

DCRA. Produced in Canada as a target rifle using Longbranch No4 MkI* using new barrel, extractor, target site, and magazine. A second club batch was produced by converting existing rifles using various receivers with new barrels, some were fitted with target sites.

L39A1, Envoy. Made in Britain these are primarily target rifles fitted with short forestock and target sites.

Enforcer, was an Envoy but fitted with an optical sight (scope) for police snipers.

L42A1, Like the Enforcer this is a sniper rifle but for the military also fitted with optical sites.